Hi, I have a valid X1 type and a plane ticket to Shanghai for next week

but want to buy a ticket to fly from Shanghai to Australia 3 hours after my arrival in China. Is it possible to just stay in the transit zone of the airport without having to use up my X1 type for about 3 hours and then fly back to China a few weeks later? Do you even need a (transit) visa if you’re really only in the airport? Thanks a lot!